A priest friend of mine who grew up in the Chicago area once shared with me the story of his Confirmation. The bishop, upon arrival, decided he wanted to meet with the young men and women he would be confirming that afternoon, including my friend. He went around the room and shook their hands, asking each one a few questions. There were lots of smiles and laughter, and all seemed to be going very well. Then the bishop came to my friend and asked him what saint he had chosen as his Confirmation saint. My friend said, “St. Patrick.” The bishop asked, “Why did you choose St. Patrick?” Aware of the prelate’s last name and obvious heritage, my friend smiled and said proudly: “Because I’m Irish!” Well, if my friend was looking for a pat on the head for his response, he would be disappointed. “Young man,” said the bishop with a sigh, “St. Patrick is one of the great saints in the history of the Church. It would be good if you knew why that is.”
Who was St. Patrick? In his spiritual autobiography, the Confession, the saint introduces himself to the reader: “I am Patrick. I am a sinner, the most unsophisticated and least among Christians.” Yet, he would be the one who would bring the gospel to the pagan peoples of Ireland in the 5th century. He first came to Ireland at the age of 16, taken captive by slavers during an Irish raid on Roman Britain. Sold into slavery in western Ireland, Patrick was given the task of minding his master’s sheep. This meant long days of isolation, hunger, and exposure to the elements. It was during this period that he turned to Christ and entered into a deep and mystical relationship with the Lord. After six years, a voice told him it was time to go home and provided him with detailed instructions on how he could escape. Thus, he was able to return to Britain, where he received his education and was ordained a priest and then consecrated a bishop. He began his life as a missionary in response to a vision in which he heard the people of Ireland calling to him: “O holy servant boy, we appeal to you to come and walk among us.” Moved with love for them, Patrick was determined to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ, notwithstanding the grave risks involved. This he did for the rest of his life, baptizing many thousands of people, instructing them in the faith, and claiming Ireland for Christ.
Fr. Billy Swan, a well-known Irish scholar of St. Patrick, remembers as a schoolboy hearing his teacher recount the story of the saint. “[It] made us realize that the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was much more than parades and costumes but the living tradition of faith that we had received because of Patrick’s response to God’s call to bring us the [gospel]. Patrick’s story ignited something within us – a connection with him, a pride, a gratitude, a sense of identity and a clarity of purpose. We were the generation who represented the latest link in a chain of living faith that went back to him.” This is something my poor friend learned only after his Confirmation. I’m sure if he were given the chance to respond to the bishop’s question today, he would say: “Because I’m Irish, and I wouldn’t know Christ if it weren’t for him.”
posted 3/15/25
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 